Music Video Conventions

Music Video Conventions

Music videos follow certain conventions, some of these include specific shot types. Most music videos will include close ups of the lead singer or the main artist. This is mainly because we are shown them lip syncing to the song. These are usually done through the use of jump cutting (fragmented editing). Depending on the genre there are different conventions for example, in a rock video there will be a full band with wide shots of said band, aswell as close ups of the lead singer. However, in a pop video there will be just the artist and they will be shown through various different shot types as the music video starts to build a narrative.

Another convention would be mise-en-scene, this can include: props, costume, location and performance. When props are used they are often band merchendise, this is shown as this can be used to advertise and promote the band as well as being used in parts of the music video. These also include instruments, which will often be shown throughout the whole music video alongside a narrative. Often the costumes worn by the band are all very similar so that we can see the band as a unit, as opposed to a singular artist. Most music videos are shot outside as there as more elements to capture, for example the weather. When we see a video and there is a heavy downpour we often associate this with a sad narrative.

There are many different editing techniques used in music videos, these can include: jump cutting, diegetic sound and cuts on beat. Jump cutting is where the band will be in one location performing, then the music video will cut and they will appear in another location, regardless of continuity. This creates a lively effect to the video as this moves very quickly to match the beat of the music. Furthermore, this leads onto cutting on beat, which most music videos will use. This is where the footage is edited to match the beat of the music, this creates a rhythm and sets a pace for the editing. Diegetic sound is the sound that the artist can hear aswell as the audience, for example this could be a car driving past. This makes the video seem more realistic.